Swinging chair.



N0. 831,167. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906. J. F. KURFEES & W. L. CRAFT. SWINGING CHAIR.

- APPLICATION FILED 00125. 1905.

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J. F. KURFEES & W. L.'GRAFT.

SWINGING CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.25. 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT rrron.

JAMES F. KURFEES AND WILLIAM L. CRAFT. OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

SWINGING CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

Application filed- October 25,1905. Serial No. 284,350.

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES F. KURFEES and WILLIAM L. CRAFT, citizens of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have in' vented certain new and useful Improvements in Swinging Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention provides novel suspending and operating means for chairs of the type adapted to swing and convertible to admit of the user occupying any position from the upright to the reclining.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effectingthe result reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof, the dotted lines showing an ad justed position. Fig. 3 is a front view of the overhead cross-bar and the rope or cord cooperating therewith. Fig. 4 is a detail view, in perspective, of the chair detached from the overhead cross-bar.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The chair comprises sections or parts which are connected in a manner to freely articulate to admit of the ready adjustment of the chair from an upright to a reclining position to suit the comfort of the user. The sections may be of any construction and as illustrated comprise longitudinal bars and transverse slats, the parts being secured in any substantial manner at their points of crossing. The chair comprises the back 1, seat 2, leg 3, and foot-rest 4, said parts being hinged or pivoted in any accustomed manner. Suspending-cords 5, one for each side of the chair, have their end portions attached to the seat 2 and their intermediate portions formed into loops, which are adjustably connected to the lower end of suspending-bars 6 by passing through a series of transverse openings 7, formed therein. By running the cords or ropes 5 through the opening 7 the desired pitch may be given to the seat independent of the adjustment of the back, leg, and foot sections. The suspending-bars 6 are of a length to provide ample connection of the several ropes or cords therewith and to admit of the user grasping the same when it is required either to adjust the chair from an upright to a recumbent position, or vice versa, or to steady the chair when swinging. An inclined notch 8 is formed in an edge portion of each suspending-bar and receives the loop 9 of the overhead suspending means. A transverse opening 1.0 is formed in each of the suspending-bars, preferably at a point below the notch 8, to receive the adjusting rope or cord 11, the latter being connected at one end to the foot-rest 4 and at its opposite end to the upper portion of the back 1. The adjusting-ropes 11 relatively fix the position of the back, leg, and foot-rest sections, and by running said ropes or cords through the suspending-b ars 6 the inclination of the back, leg, and foot-rest sections may be regulated to meet the requirements of the user. When adjusting the chair, the user grasps the suspending-bars 6 at a point below the openings 10, and by pressing forward upon the suspending-bars and rearward upon the back 1 the chair may be adjusted from an upright into a recumbent position, and by pulling forward upon the suspending-bars 6 and pressing forward and downward upon the foot-rest 4 the back 1 is elevated. A button or slide 12 is adjustable upon each rope or cord 11 to limit the rearward and downward movement of the back 1. This button or slide 12 constitutes an adjustable stop and has a series of openings formed therein, through which the rope or cord 11 is rove. A corresponding stop 13 limits the upward and forward movement of the back 1, and preferably consists of a knot formed in each rope or cord 11.

The overhead suspending means consist of a cross-bar 141 and a rope or cord, the latter having its end portion knotted, as indicated at 15, and passed downward through openings 16 near the ends of the cross-bar, thence upward through other openings 17 and again downward through openings 18, all of said openings being provided in opposite end ortions of the cross-bar. The rope or cor between the o enings 16 and 17 is formed into loops 19, which receive the upper end-portions of the suspending-bar 6, the notches 8 of said bars receiving the bights of the loops 19. Other loops 20 are formed in the end portions of the rope or cord between the openings 17 and 18 and are received in screweyes or hooks 21, let into a cross-beam or other overhead support. The part 22 of the I ITO rope or cord between the openings 18 passes beneath the cross-bar 14 and may be lengthened or shortened to regulate the height of the chair. The same result may be accomplished by drawing u on one or both ends of said rope or cord and rnotting the same. By having the upper suspending-cord continuous and passed through the several openings formed in said cross-bar and through the eyes or hooks 21 the adjustment may be effected at any desired point and the rope or cord moved so as to lift the chair, as will be readily comprehended. Furthermore, by the arrangement of the suspending-rope, as above described, the cross-bar 14 may be raised and lowered without changing the elevation of the chair and without changing the knots. In explanation of this reference is to be particularly had to Fig. 3 of the drawings. It is obvious that the chair is suspended from the lower end of the loops 9 and that the height of the chair from the hooks 21 is always determined by the combined'height or length of the loops 19 and loops 20. Now as the loop 20 has a running connection in the hook 21 and the strand which forms the outer side of loop 20 and loop 19 has a running connection through the opening 17 it is manifest that said rope which forms the outer side or lap of both of these loops (19 and 20) may be drawn downwardly through the opening 17 to increase the length of the lower loop 19 and shorten the upper loop 20, which obviously will raise the cross-bar 14 without changing the elevation of the chair. This action is of course assisted by reason of the fact that the loop 20 has a running-connection in the hook 21. By drawing the cross-bar 14 downwardly the upper loop 20 will be lengthened and the lower loop.19 shortened, the movement being the reverse to that just before described, and in this manner the crossbar 14 may be depressed .without changing the elevation of the chair with respect to the hooks 21. It is obvious that both of these actions is rendered possible, owing to the fact that the elevation of the chair depends not upon the length of the loop 19 or loop 20,but upon the combined length of these loops, no matter how long or short each loop may be so long as the other loop compensates therefor.

As the suspending-bar 6 extends upwardly some distance between the two laps of the loops 19, said laps being in contiguity of the upper portions of the suspended bars, some sidewise rocking movement of the chair with respect to the lower ends of the loops'19 as a pivot is prevented, as such action would be resisted by the upper edges of the suspendingbars hitting the ropes constituting the two sides of the loops. The suspending-bars 6 provide convenient means for adjusting the chair to any position within the range of movement and at the same time admit of the user steadying both the chair and himself when swinging, as well as provide convenient means for attaching the chair to the suspend ing-loops 19 of the overhead supporting means. Furthermore, the connection between the suspending-bars 6 and the ropes 19 is advantageous, in that the chair maybe readily detached from the suspending means in order to admit of adjustment of the latter to vary the elevation of said chair. It will be noted that the chair and adjacent suspending and supporting parts may be made almost entirely from wood and rope, this being desirable, as it conduces to the cheapness of the article materially and does not necessitate the use of parts difficult to replace, as almost any one can duplicate the wooden bars and rope connections without the slightest difliculty.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a swinging chair, the herein-described means of connection between the chair and elevated suspending-hooks, the same consisting of a cross-bar provided near each end with a plurality of vertical openings ex tending therethrough and a single rope having its intermediate portion extending along the lower side of said cross-bar, the ends of said rope passing upwardly through the innermost openings in the cross-bar, thence through the suspension-hooks, thence downwardly through other openings in the crossbar whereby to produce upper loops 20 and thence upwardly again through the remaining 0 enings in the cross-bar whereby to produce ower loops 19, the last portions of said rope being knotted above the cross-bar, and means for suspending the chair from the lower loops 19, the said rope having a sliding or running connection through all of the openings in the cross-bar, except at the openings where the knots occur, and also having a sliding or running connection in the suspension-hooks, and in the means for suspending the chair from the lower loops, whereby the said cross-bar may be raised and lowered without changing the elevation of the chair and without changing the knots, and whereby also the elevation of the chair may be raised and lowered by merely changing the position of the knots with respect to the rope.

2. A swinging reclining-chair, comprising the pivotally-connected sections, the crossbar, provided near each end with a plurality of vertical openings extending therethrough, sundry of the openings of each set or plurality being close to each other, a single rope having an intermediate portion extending along the lower side of the cross-bar and thence upwardly with a running connection through the two innermost openings therein and thence downwardly through'the other end openings in the crossbar with a running connection and finally upwardly through the remaining openings in the cross-bar and provided with knots, whereby the Combined lengths of the upper and lower loops produced by the passage of the rope may be varied by changing the positions of the knots on the rope, suspending-bars and means for suspending the chair therefrom, each suspending-bar being provided below its upper end with a notch designed to receive the bight of the lowermost loops and said bars extending upwardly between the two laps of each of said lowermost loops in substantial oontiguity to both of said laps, whereby those portions of said bars above the notches and between the laps of the lowermost loops will tend to prevent the sidewise swinging of I 5 the chair with respect to the cross-bar.

A In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. KURFEES. WILLIAM L. CRAFT.

Witnesses:

CHARLES FITZGERALD, OWEN D. DUFF'IN. 

